The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-20
WRECK OF THE NORTH AMERICA
A "Reminiscences of the Old Mining
Days in California.
rSan Francisco Chronicle

[San Francisco Chronicle
Away back in the fifties, when men were
hurrying to the mines in the wild race for
gold which followed the discovery of the
precious metal near Suffers Mill, fortunes
were sometimes made in San Francisco with
a rapidity which astonished even the lucky
miners who, after big strike, came to the
city to squander their winnings. Sometimes
the suddenly acquired wealth was the result
of lucky stroke of speculation in some COM
modify Of which there happened to be a
dearth in the market, and sometimes ii was
brought about by far sighted combinations
of careful, conservative business men.
Everybody was on the watch for an oppor-
tunity to grasp the golden opportunity which
might come to any one at a moments notice.
Among those who were thus awaiting for
that tide in the affairs of men, which, taken
at the flood, leads on to fortune, was Captain
William Griffith, now one of the capitalists
of the city.
Captain Griffith at the time was the own
er of little tugboat called the ResoIute. The
craft would make fair sized launch for the
large and powerful steamers which now do
the towing ON the bay, and with her small
engines and diminutive wheel, could not
cope successfully with the strong tides which
set through the Golden Gate, especially with
a large ship at the other end of the hawser.
All of the Captains capital was invested in
the tug, and he and his chief assistant, Cap
tain William Diedrickson, or "Old Captain
Bill" as the tug men and ship owners call
him, were on watch day and night to turn an
honest penny. 1t was hard grabbing, how
ever, and the owner was often hard pressed
to find tire money to pay the running ex-
penses of the steamer.
On stormy day in February OF 1854, when
the wind was blowing gale from the north
east and all the shipping in port was as safe
and comfortable as good ground tackle could
make them, and the sea on the bar was so
heavy that there seemed but little probabli-
ty of any inward bound ship attempting to
make the harbor, the little Resolute steamed
down the bay toward the Gate in the hope
that something would turn up which might
give her a job. For several hours she lay
tossing in the chopping sea in the channel,
until late in the afternoon large ship was
seen beating in against the wind helped by
the last of the flood tide. The craft was
well handled and in a short time crossed
the bar and began series of short tacks to
bring her inside the heads.
From her rig and signals she was made out
to be the ship North America, from New
York, laden with general cargo valued at
nearly half million of dollars Everything
went well until the vessel was nearly oppo-
site Fort Point, when by some error Of judg-
ment or the confusion and excitement caused
by the rapid work of handling such large
craft in such a narrow channel. the pilot or
dered the helm up instead of down, and the
ship wore instead of coming about in stays.
She whirled like a top, and with the speed of
an express train on down grade dashed
across the narrow expanse of water for the
opposite shore. Before she could be got
fairly under command the short distance
had been traversed and the good ship North
America was making vain attempt to bore
hole in Point Diablo with her jib-boom.
The watchers on the Resolute at once
steamed TO the rescue, as the crew were seen
to rush at once to the boats, and it was evil
dent that the ship had been seriously dam
aged and was about to be abandoned. Be-
fore the tug reached the ship, which was
drifting rapidly out to sea before the gale,
the boats were seen to put off, loaded with
the crew, and the ship was left a waif on
the ocean. As the tug passed. the boats the
crew was hailed and urged to return and at
tempt to rescue the vessel. They finally
agreed to go back, but as soon as they came
alongside the men and officers started for
cabin and fOrecastle, and wild scramble to
save personal effects began. AS soon as the
boats were loaded with all they could safely
carry, they were again manned, and officers
anu CIbW dDduuUutu utT her ldLG.
Here was a chance for a fortune such as
seldom comes to man, and Captain Griffith
determined to make an effort to secure it.
The ship and cargo could not be worth less
than $4,000, and the salvage of such a sum
would give the owner of the rescuing tug a
fortune such as he had never in his most
sanguine moments hoped to possess. With
all possible speed hawser was got out to
the wrecked ship, and then began a pro-
tIacted struggle Of the little steamer against
fIa Nsfft, Hhn do hnA ptn
and slowly the little craft gained against the
gale until she was fairly within the narrow
er portion of the channel. Visions of wealth
hoated before the Captains eyes, and the
pull skies filed with masses of gray clouds
seemed exceedingly rosy 70 him.
Unfortunately, about this timesthe tide be-
gan to run out and the tug and her tow be-
came stationary. AS the tide became strong
er the advance was changed to a retrograde
movement. 1t was not long before it became
evident that the Resolute and the ship. which
was sinking rapidly, would be carried out to
sea, and that if any part of the cargo was to
be saved she must be beached at some point
close at hand
Just outside of Point Diablo is a small
cave with deep water close in to the beach.
The tug made fast alongside of the ship and
in short time ran her hard and fast on the
shelving shore of the cave and left her
there.
The news of the wreck and the position of
the ship was soon noised through the town,
and before daylight the next morning all the
idle men in San francisco who could pro-
cure sail or rOwboat which would keep
atioat long enough to make the tip were on
their way to the spot The decks and spars
were soon stripped of everything that could
be moved, and then the raid on the cargo
began, For a while a free fight seemed in
evitable but the danger was averted by
suggestion of a returned miner. The deck
was staked off into mining claims. Axes
were obtained from the ships stores, and in
a few minutes a hundred men were busy
chopping holes in the deck as the first step
toward sinking a shaft on their claims. Be
fore long entrances were made, and then the
fun began. AS soon as a box was reached it
was opened, a carsOry inspection of its con-
tents made, and the more valuable articles
appropriated. Boats were busy passing and
repassing to the shore, carrying away the
plumber secured by the mining partners of
the boat owner. Poles were set and lines
run in them on the slopes of the point. 1t
soon looked as though all the laundries and
dyelng establishments in the country were
having an industrial exhibition. Silks, SAT-
ms, cloth, wooden, cotton and linen goods of
every conceivable shade were fluttering and
mapping in the wind.
>, AS no man was allowed to go outside of
the sue lines OF his claim, it was not long
before an energetic miner had reached the
rover h0ld and tapped barrel of whisky, of
which there was goodly quantity on board.
lie at once announced his rich strike Buck
cts were procured and the liquor passed on
deck. Cups, glasses, broken bottles. tin
cans, anything that would hold the lionor
long enough were used as drinking vessels.
The fun grew fast and furious Men ar